About Us

30 Years of Service

1987

Sentinel Benefits & Financial Group began over an ordinary dinner that ultimately became an extraordinary story. With nothing more than an IBM 286 computer with two floppy drives and a phone, the Carnevales began their journey—by offering Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) on Liberty Lane in Lynnfield, MA—and they never looked back.

1995

1998

COBRA administration services are introduced simultaneous to when Sentinel Benefits enters the daily valuation recordkeeping business, and also forms Sentinel Pension Advisors, Inc., in order to act as a retirement plan fiduciary and so that our financial advisors can begin offering financial planning services to individuals—making Sentinel a single resource for employee benefits needs. With 25 employees, the corporate headquarters moves to 107 Audubon Road, Wakefield, MA.

2001

The first annual Educational Exchange (EdEx) event for employers takes place at the Henderson House in Weston, MA. This event was held annually at the same historic venue for the next 15 years.

Rosa Aguirre, the company’s first non-family employee

Educational breakout session at the first annual EdEx

2002

As we approach 100 employees, the corporate headquarters moves to 601 Edgewater Drive in Wakefield, MA.

This location was Sentinel Benefits' home for the next 5 years

2004

The Sentinel Benny Debit Card is introduced as an easy way for participants to directly access the money in their accounts. You’re able to make eligible purchases using the card rather than having to pay up front and submit a claim for reimbursement. The Benny Card looks and acts just like a debit card—only it’s preloaded with reimbursement account dollars.

2005

2006

After several acquisitions, Sentinel Benefits has 150 employees and expands our national client reach to California.

Our 12-month leadership rotational program is developed to recruit and train the next generation of benefits professionals through hands-on business experience in the financial services industry. Since then, the program has evolved into a Sales & Business Development Program.

Ava Carnevale, rotational program graduate, presents at a session on fiduciary best practices at our 16th Annual Educational Exchange

2007

Sentinel Benefits is acquired by Focus Financial Partners, a leading partnership of independent, fiduciary wealth management firms, to further fuel growth. As a Focus partner firm, Sentinel maintains their entrepreneurial independence, while benefiting from the synergies, scale, economics and best practices of a market leader to achieve business objectives.

The corporate headquarters are moved to 55 Walkers Brook Drive, Reading, MA

2013

2014

Our philanthropy program, SentinelCares, is formed in 2014 with 75 employees completing 563 volunteer hours at 11 non-profit organizations. We believe that corporate social responsibility is the right thing to do – for our customers, our employees and for the communities where we live and work. Our approach to corporate social responsibility includes corporate giving and supporting employee activities.

2015

Sentinel Benefits’ Leadership Development Program is established to provide professional training to individuals who have demonstrated strong leadership potential and consistently promote Sentinel’s core values.

2017

Sentinel Benefits launches TotalWealth powered by eMoney, a new technology platform that allows individuals to view all their financials in one place.

Sentinel Benefits celebrates our 30th anniversary! We now serve 2,500 businesses and 150,000 plan participants. Although we’ve grown, we’ve never lost sight of the commitments we’ve made along the way and the importance of doing the right thing for the good people we serve.

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